The Department of Justice has settled with two former FBI employees over privacy rights violations.
Former counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok and FBI attorney Lisa Page have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice over the release of text message conversations in which they expressed disdain for former President Donald Trump.
Strzok settled for $1.2 million and Page received $800,000, according to court documents reviewed by The Associated Press.
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Former FBI agent Peter Struzk was fired in 2018 for sending anti-Trump text messages. (Reuters)
In 2019, Strzok filed legal papers in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., arguing that even though he sent politically biased, anti-Trump messages on his FBI-issued cellphone while playing a leading role in the investigations into both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the messages were protected by the First Amendment.
Strzok, a former FBI counterintelligence chief, said he had a right to “develop a complete factual record through discovery” and that it was premature to dismiss the case at this early stage. He also argued that the Justice Department's position “leaves thousands of federal employees unprotected from disciplinary action over the content of their political speech.”
“This result is an important step forward in addressing the government's unfair and highly politicized treatment of Pete,” said Aitan Goelam, the lawyer representing Strzok.
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Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump speaks on the final day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Paul Sancia)
“While this is important to Pete, it also protects the privacy rights of all public employees. We will continue to litigate Pete's constitutional claims so that public employees will be protected from adverse employment actions motivated by partisan politics in the future,” Goelam added.
Page also filed a lawsuit against the FBI and the Department of Justice, alleging that the governments violated federal privacy laws by releasing his lewd text messages to Strzok.
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Lisa Page, former legal counsel to former FBI Director Andrew McCabe, arrives at the Capitol to speak before the House Judiciary Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
“While this verdict vindicates me, I am hopeful that the law enforcement community will never again politicize the lives of its employees,” Page said in a statement.
Page's lawsuit also sought reimbursement for “childcare and travel expenses during multiple investigative investigations and congressional appearances,” “costs paid to data privacy services to protect my personal information,” and attorneys' fees.
Fox News Digital's Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
Timothy Nerozzi is a writer for Fox News Digital. You can follow him on Twitter @timothynerozzi or email him at timothy.nerozzi@fox.com.